John Waters at RISD Commencement: ‘Contemporary Art’s Job Is to Wreck What Came Before’

John Waters received an honorary doctorate and spoke at the Rhode Island School of Design’s commencement late last month, and as you can probably imagine, it was filled with plenty of fine moments. “Not being around assholes should be the goal of every graduate here today” was one of the lessons he imparted. He also marveled how times change: “Who would have ever thought a top college like RISD would invite a filth elder like myself to set an example to its students?” And this: “Contemporary art’s job is to wreck what came before.” Watch the full speech above. (Thanks to Sarah Hromack for bringing this to our attention.)